Rotary engine



no Model.)

4 Sheets-Sheet 1.

H; s. HOPPER.

ROTARY ENGINE.

Patnted Nov. 2, 1886.

n PETERS. Pvwlo-Umnghpher. Washington, 0. c.

(No Model") I {Lflheets-Sheet 2. H. S. HOPPER.

ROTARY E GI E; No. 352,089. Patented Nov. 2, 1886.

" WM. /W /W 4 SheetsSheet 3.

H. S. HOPPER.

ROTARY ENGINE.

(No Model.)

Patented Nov. 2, 1886.

I? NTOR .zlttorney (No Model.) 4 Sheets-Shet 4.

' H. S. HOPPER.

. ROTARY'ENGINE.

No. 352,089. Patented Nov. 2. 1886.

WI 1W ESISES %w fi UVVENTOR Attorney r PETERS. PhulwLilhngraphar, Washinghm. n a

UNITED STATES HENRY S. HOPPER, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

PATENT O FrcE.

ROTARY ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 352,089, dated November 2, 1886.

Application filed April 3, 1886. Serial No. 197,696. (No model.) i

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY S. HOPPER, of

Detroit, county of Wayne, State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Rotary Engines; and I declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention consists of the combinations .of devices and appliances, hereinafter specified, and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure l isa plan view of "a device embodying my invention; Fig. 2, a

vertical section thereof; Fig. 3, an interior tive positions of the view of the circular or ring cylinder, showing other parts in elevation. Fig. 4. illustrates the relative distance the pistons travel in-the same time at different parts of their revolution. Figs. 5, 6, 7; and 8 illustrate the relapistons at different parts of their'revolution.

My invention is designed moreparticularly to provide, first, a steam high-pressure engine adapted to drive electric dynamos and other devices by direct connection, instead of by belts, while at the same time it may have a general application; second, which shall be adapted also as a pump by simply making the ports and passages proportionately larger; third, which shall also be adapted for a watermotor, or, fourth, which may be proportioned and adapted asa water-meter, the construction being essentially the same for any of these various uses.

- f I 1 I carry out nay invention as follows: A is a circular or ring cylinder consisting of a removable case, A, which may be engaged with v e the stationary portion A in any suitable manner. This case is preferably constructed with an outer piston ring, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 at A and an intermediate space having concentric disks located therein. The outer removable portion of the cylinder is construct-- ed with a journal-bearing, as shown at a, and the stationary portion of the cylinder A with a casing, a", and a supporting-web, a A represents a steam-passage cored in the casing of the stationary ring of the cylinder, 7

provided with steam-ports (6* and a communicating with the interior of the cylinder. B is.

a steam-pipe communicating therewith. I 5 5 A is an exhaust-passage, also cored in the.

case, and provided with exhaust-ports, e a,

communicating therewith.

B is the exhaust-pipe.

O O 0 represent pistons provided with arms 0 c 0 engaged therewith, said arms connected, respectively, with concentric disks D D 1r, rotatable in the intermediate Space of the cylinder, these disks being each constructed with a hub, d (1 d respectively, said hubs extendedthrough the case a", and provided, with concentric arms E E E These concentric disks are designed to be held close together, so as to. be steam-tight,'in any suitable manner, as by packing-rings F F, contained in corresponding grooves in the cylinder-casing,

and which may be adjusted by means of set- 1 screws f f, the force of the adjusting-screws" being moderated by springs f interposed between themand the packing-rings. of the disks may thus be compensated by a tightening the rings.

shaped gibs G, and which may be adjusted for wear by keys 9. The hub of the disk Dv-8o is journaled within the hub of disk D and,

the hub of the disk D in the hub of disk D.

The disk D is journaled also in the journalbearingsfa, as shown in Fig. 2. The crankarms E E E are provided with wrist-pins e 6. e which run in brasses h h if, which in turn slide between guides IL3 on the guide-wheel H. H

In Fig. 5 steam enters through the ports I I aiwhen, it will be seen, the pistons occupying the positions therein shown, that the steamrco will press against both the pistons O G, the piston 0'' being in equilibrium; but as their positions are respectively governed by thciri crank-pins, which slide in guides h on the The wear 7 5 The hub of the disk D. runs in the case a having suitable wedgewheel H, the crank-pin of the piston G will be farther from the center H of the guidewheel H than the crank-pin of the piston O, and. consequently the piston Owill move away from the steam-ports faster than the piston C will inove toward said ports, making the wheel H revolve in thesame direction, (indicated by the arrow in said figures) and bring the pistons into the relative positions shown in Fig. 6, where the piston O is in equilibrium, having the same steam-pressure upon both its faces and the steam pressing equally against the pistons 0 C as illustrated in said figure. The distance of the wrist-pin of the piston 0 from the center H hears about the same proportion to the distance of the wristpin of the piston C from the center H as the distance of the wrist-pin of O to the center to the distan'ce of the wrist-pin of the piston C to the center. In Fig. 5 the piston G will move away from the steam-ports while the piston G" will move toward said ports and bring the pistons into the positions shown in Fig. 8,

' where the'piston O is on the point of crossing the exhaust-port, the piston 0 having just crossed the steam-port. In these positions the pressure is against the pistons O and O'-,with O nearly at the point of equilibrium, and the ratio of the distance of the wrist-pin of the piston C to the center to the distance of the wrist-pin of the piston G to the center being about the same as before. Continuing their revolution, they come into the positions shown in Fig. 7,when the piston G is in equilibrium and the pressure of the steam is equally against the pistons O and 0 with the distances of their respective crank-pins from the wheel in about the same proportion as before. Gonsequently they revolve to the position shown in Fig. 5, having caused one-third of a revolution of the wheel H, the pistons being col lectively in the same relative positions as when they started, and are ready to repeat the action just described.

As shown in Fig. 4, it will be seen that one piston would travel from It to it while another piston was traveling from k to 76, making an effective stroke of the distance from k to it less the distance from It to k, and as there are three pistons the total stroke per revolution would be three times the distance of said effe'ctive stroke.

It will be seen by a comparison of the different positions shown in Fig. 4with corresponding positions illustrated in Figs. 5, 6, S, and 7, that the different pistons are shown, the light lines corresponding to the positions in Fig. 5, the light dotted lines to the position shown in Fig. 6, in heavy full lines to the position shown in Fig. 8, and in heavy dotted lines to the position shown in Fig. '7.

The wrist-pins cc e may readily be removed by releasing the nuts on their ends and driving said pins back through orifices H in the guidewheel H,when the brasses will be permitted to slide'between the guides. The brasses are preferably made in halves connected with screws to take up wear on the wrist-pin.

The wrist-pins, brasses, and guides may be readily oiled by arranging an oil-cup, L, upon the adjacent standard, the cup being provided with a tube, Z, the guide-wheel constructed with a flanged hub, as shown at H", the oil being emitted from the tube! within the said flange, when the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the wheel will cause vit to flow through passages h to the guides and brasses, the brasses being provided with passages, as shown at if, so constructed that a part of the oil may be transferred thereby to the wrist-pins.

The engine may be governed in any ordinary manner.

By reference to Fig. 3 it will be seen that a 'very simple and effective means for packing the piston is shown, the piston being constructed in the ordinary manner and provided with rings 0", made narrower than is generally the case,that they may more readily adapt themselves to the circular shape of the cylinder.

The operation of the device will now be understood. It is obvious that the engine has no valves or valve-gears of any sort to wear out. It hasno reciprocatory parts whatever,

the motion being rotary and in perfect circles.

\Vhen the engine is in motion, no moving part stops, and consequently a high rate of speed may be obtained without vibration. There is no dead-center, and no fly-wheel is required. No complicated system of packing is required, the simple ring-packing, familiar to every engineer, being every way sufficient. It dis penses with many parts conimonin rotary engines, rendering the construction more simple and economical. No stuffing-boxes are required. Connecting-rods and their various parts are also dispensed with. There being no vibration, smaller foundations will sufliee. On account of the high piston speed which may be obtained, a smaller piston-area is required, and consequently the size of the engine may be reduced. The whole engine is very compact and may be supported entirely upon a single bed-plate and a single foundation, and therefore cannot be thrown out of line. \Vhen used as a pump, the column of water is not started and stopped at every revolution, but is forced forward with equal velocity at every part of the revolution. Consequently no air-chambers are required either on the suction or discharge pipes, and as it will work steadily without jar or vibration it is particularly adapted for fire-engines, as it keeps the strain upon the hose uniforni.- \Vhen used as a water-motor,it uses the entire pressure of the water instead of its momentum only, as in the case of ordinary water-motors. W'hen proportioned for a water-motor,it also may be used as a perfect water-meter, the motion being positive and the amount ofwater passed at every revolution being exactly the same.

An important feature of myinvention, which will be noticed by reference to the drawings, is the fact that the center of the guide-wheel H is not coincident or in the same plane with the center of the concentric crank-arms engaged with the concentric disks. The center, therefore, of the guide-wheel and the center of the wrist-pin circles being difi'erent, the crankarms are eccentrically engaged with the guidewheel, in consequence of which it follows, as already indicated, that thepiston whose crankpin is nearest the center of the guide-wheel travels the. slowest, while they piston of the crank-pin farthest away from the center of the guide-wheel travels fastest, and therefore'its leverage is far greater than the resistance offered to the piston having its crank-pin nearest the center of the guide-wheel.

I prefer that the'center of the crank-pins and the center of the pistons shall beon aline with each other, or, in other words, that the distance from the center of the'piston to the center of its concentric disk shall be the same as the distance from the center of its concentric crank-shaft to thecenter of its crank-pin, that the one may the more thoroughly counterbalance the other. This, however, is not indispensable, as the distance from the center of the concentric crank-shaft to the center of its pin may be shorterthan the distance from the center of the piston to the center of its concentric disk, as shown in Fig. 3, without departing from the principle of my invention.

What I claim is 1. The combination, with an annular cylinder constructed with an outer piston-ring, of

pistons located therein, said pistons engaged with concentric hubs, substantially as described.-

2. An annular cylinder constructed withfixed and separable sections, one of said seclocated in the inner periphery of said cylinder, said pistons engaged with concentric disks,

said disks provided with extended hubs, sub-' stantially as described.

3. An annular cylinder provided with inlet and exhausttports, having, in combination therewith, pistonslocated in the inner periphery of the cylinder, said pistons engaged with concentric disks by connecting-arms 0,0 0 substantially as described.

4. The combination, with an annular cylinder provided with inlet and exhaust ports, of pistons located in the inner periphery of the cylinder, concentric rotatable disks engaged with'said pistons, said disks provided with crank arm s, substantially as described. I

5. Thecombination, with an annular cylinder provided with inlet and exhaust ports, of

pistons located in the inner periphery of the substantially as described. tions provided with a casing, a", and pistons cylinder and engaged with concentric disks,

and a guide-wheel engaged with said disks by from the center of said wheel and connected by crank-arms with said concentric disks, said arms working in said guideways, substantially as described.

7. The combination, with an annular cylinder provided with inlet and outlet ports, of

pistons located in the inner periphery of the cylinder and having concentric disks engaged V therewith, and an adjustable packing to em gage said disks, substantially as described.

8. The combination, with pistons having concentric disks and concentric crank-arms, of a guide-wheel engaged with said crank-arms, the center of the circle described by said crankarms and the center of said guide-wheel being upon a different line, substantially as described.

9. The combination, with rotatable pistons and their concentric disks, of a guide-wheel eccentrically connected with said disks, the construction being such that said pistons will operate with a different speed at different portions of their revolution, substantially as described.

10. The'combinatiomwith a guide-wheel pro- Vided with perforated guideways, and a flange,

E of an oil-cup provided with a tube, 1, leading to the flanged part of said wheel,the construction being such that oil will be communicated by centrifugal force to said guideways,

concentric disksengaged with said pistons, no

said disks provided with hubs extended through the case a of the cylinder, and wedgeshaped gibs and keys to tighten said. hubs in said case, substantially as described.

Intestimony whereof I sign this specificar15 tion in the presence of two witnesses.

HENRY S. HOPPER. Witnesses:

N. S. WRIGHT, M. B. ODOGHERTY. 

